Nalsa Islands at the Simlympics
The Nalsa Islands are an autonomous dependency of Ainkien. Located between Australia and New Zealand in the Tasman Sea, it is literally on the other side of the world from Ainkien, and is heavily influenced by its oceanic neighbours. With a varied geography and temporate climate, the Nalsa Islands are popular with tourists, especially those seeking outdoor adventure. The cities are lined with beaches while the spine of Grand Nalsa Island features the Nkobe Mountains, which are covered with a reliable snow pack during the winter months. The Nalsa Islands were very successful for a country of its size. The Nalsa Islands Simlympic Committee made improved on elements of the Ainkienian international sports training programmes by also researching and implementing key elements from the Australian and Lower Columbian sports programmes. Though the Nalsa Islands feature two major cities, Stanley and Milton, it is at Stanley that the majority of the key international sports facilities are located. Millennium Park, a large multi-sport park near the Stanley Domain, was begun as an attempt to revitalize Stanley's struggling local economy with a potential bid for the Alliance of Independent Nations (AIN) Summer Games. When Ainkien pulled out of the AIN, however, this ended Stanley's hopes to make such a games bid. Now, the facilities are being used for various Nalsa Islands sporting events as well as some smaller international sporting events. The Nalsa Islands had success with sports that are common in the islands, including swimming, kayaking, tennis and mountain biking. Per the Ainkienian model, funding and training was concentrated on officially identified heritage sports that included swimming, kayaking, figure skating, short track speed skating and mountain biking. Nonetheless, the Nalsas also had some success in Ainkien's own heritage sports such as archery and fencing. Due to the excellent facilities at the Southern Cross snow fields in the Nkobe Mountains and some indoor ice skating facilities, the Nalsa's also surprised the world with some success at the First Winter Simlympics in York. A point of contention in the Nalsa Islands' participation was the lack of funding and support for Nalsa Islander athletes in the sailing events, which created strife and controversy between Nalsa Islands Simlympic Committee and the Nalsa Islands Yachting Federation. Though sailing is popular in the Nalsa Islands, and the islands have many ideal conditions for sports sailing, the Nalsa Islands Simlympic Committee only began participating in the sailing events in its last games in Hinawa. The Nalsa Islands participated in the eight, ninth and tenth Summer Simplympics and the First Winter Simlympics. Due to an International Simlympic Committee ruling that dependency nations could no longer compete under their own banner, Nalsa Islands currently participate in the Simlympics as part of the Ainkien team. This effectively ended a friendly but intense rivalry between the Ainkienian and Nalsa Islander teams that was most intense in fencing, archery and equestrian events. At the end of its tenure in the Simlympics, after the end of the 10th games, the Nalsa Islands was first on the overall medals table for swimming. Medals Tables Medals by Summer Games Medals by Winter Games Medals by Sport External Link The Nalsa Islands at "Ainkien: the Undiscovered Country" City Journal Category:Countries at the Simlympics